Pope: Europe Losing Faith in Its Future
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Europe appears to be losing faith in its own future, Pope XVI said Saturday, warning against "dangerous individualism" on a continent where many people are having fewer children.
"One must unfortunately note that Europe seems to be going down a road which could lead it to take its leave from history," the pontiff told bishops in Rome for ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the a major step toward the creation of today's European Union.
Benedict said he was concerned about Europe's "demographic profile"—though he did not describe the trends that have alarmed the continent for decades.
In countries like Italy, where many married couples have one or no children, the population is expected to shrink dramatically in a generation or two unless fertility rates quickly increase.
Benedict expressed concern that Europe's population trends, "besides putting economic growth at risk, can also cause enormous difficulties for social cohesion, and, above all, favor dangerous individualism, careless about the consequences for the future."
"You could almost think that the is in fact losing faith in its own future," Benedict said.
A recent Eurostat survey showed Poland's fertility rate to be the lowest in the EU, at 1.23 children per woman.
Sociologists and economists blame the economy, particularly the unemployment rate—at 14.9 percent the highest in the EU. Worried about losing their jobs, many women in Poland put off having children, often until it is too late.
Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski proposed a new program of tax exemptions and support for working mothers in the hope of encouraging births and ensuring that Poles "continue as a nation."
Italy's fertility rate steadily plunged to a low of 1.25 children per women of childbearing age in 2001, with the last few years seeing a small turnaround, mainly due to births to immigrants.
Italian experts cite Italian's desire for an easier lifestyle, but they also blame shortages of day care centers, expensive housing and a sluggish job market which sees many Italians living at home until well into their 30s as reasons for the country's relatively few children.
Antonio Golini, an Italian demographer, told The Associated Press recently that unless the is raised, Italy will have more people drawing pensions than it will have workers in 2050.
Spain also has a low fertility rate, while France, with family friendly policies such as cheap day care and generous parental leave, has experienced a France had more babies in 2006 than in any year in the last quarter- century, capping a decade of rising fertility that has bucked Europe's graying trend. Its fertility rate in 2006 was 2.0 children per woman.
A rate of 2.1 children per woman is considered the minimum necessary to keep a population from shrinking.
___
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Heretics walk blindly into a new religion
Interfaith group braves storm in climate change trek
By Adam Gorlick, Associated Press Writer March 16, 2007
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. --As the world's warmest winter on record drew to an end with a weekend snow storm, a group of religious leaders started walking across the state Friday to bring attention to global warming.
"People have been asking me what happens if it snows," said the Rev. Fred Small of the First Church Unitarian in Littleton. "I tell them: 'we walk.'"
The nine-day haul from downtown Northampton to Copley Square in Boston was planned far before forecasts called for a weekend of snow and sleet just a few days before the start of spring.
"It was windy and cold. I was walking on the front of the line and I felt like I was bow of a ship with the wind just coming into my face," said the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of the Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, where the group warmed up on bowls of lentil and minestrone soup after walking eight miles in deep snow from Northampton to Amherst.
Bullitt-Jonas said the walkers kept their spirits strong by singing "Keep on walking forward, never turning back," a hymn they had chanted in prayer services before the march to Boston.
The Rev. Andrea Ayvazian of the Haydenville Congregational Church said the snow was so deep, it felt like she was breaking trail.
In all 24 clergy members will walk the entire distance from Northampton to Boston, while some 800 people will join for smaller portions. The group hopes to have more than 1,000 gather in Boston for a final rally.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday that in the past century, global temperatures have increased at about 0.11 degrees per decade. But that increase has been three times larger since 1976.
The report comes just over a month after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said global warming is very likely caused by human actions and is so severe it will continue for centuries.
"God has given us this Eden, and our behavior is making a mess of it," said the Rev. Jim Antal, president of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, the state's largest Protestant denomination.
The religious walkers are part of Religious Witness for the Earth, a 6-year-old national interfaith environmental organization. Supporters include clergy from the Catholic, Unitarian, Jewish, Episcopalian, and Muslim faiths.
The leaders are calling for individuals, businesses and government entities to reduce fossil fuel emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
With most of its members based in the Northeast, it made sense for the group to walk in Massachusetts. The multiday event includes prayer and information sessions along the way before ending with a rally on March 24.
Not all the walkers are expected to make the entire journey. But synagogues and churches on their route will feed and shelter the multi-day hikers.
Many members of Religious Witness for the Earth have used their position from the pulpit to make their congregations aware of climate change.
"The interfaith aspect of what we're doing heightens awareness among everyone," said Rabbi Justin David of Congregation B'Nai Israel in Northampton. "Climate change is a moral issue and it's a collective issue. It transcends the differences of faith and politics and generations. This is something everyone needs to pay attention to."
By Adam Gorlick, Associated Press Writer March 16, 2007
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. --As the world's warmest winter on record drew to an end with a weekend snow storm, a group of religious leaders started walking across the state Friday to bring attention to global warming.
"People have been asking me what happens if it snows," said the Rev. Fred Small of the First Church Unitarian in Littleton. "I tell them: 'we walk.'"
The nine-day haul from downtown Northampton to Copley Square in Boston was planned far before forecasts called for a weekend of snow and sleet just a few days before the start of spring.
"It was windy and cold. I was walking on the front of the line and I felt like I was bow of a ship with the wind just coming into my face," said the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of the Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, where the group warmed up on bowls of lentil and minestrone soup after walking eight miles in deep snow from Northampton to Amherst.
Bullitt-Jonas said the walkers kept their spirits strong by singing "Keep on walking forward, never turning back," a hymn they had chanted in prayer services before the march to Boston.
The Rev. Andrea Ayvazian of the Haydenville Congregational Church said the snow was so deep, it felt like she was breaking trail.
In all 24 clergy members will walk the entire distance from Northampton to Boston, while some 800 people will join for smaller portions. The group hopes to have more than 1,000 gather in Boston for a final rally.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday that in the past century, global temperatures have increased at about 0.11 degrees per decade. But that increase has been three times larger since 1976.
The report comes just over a month after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said global warming is very likely caused by human actions and is so severe it will continue for centuries.
"God has given us this Eden, and our behavior is making a mess of it," said the Rev. Jim Antal, president of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, the state's largest Protestant denomination.
The religious walkers are part of Religious Witness for the Earth, a 6-year-old national interfaith environmental organization. Supporters include clergy from the Catholic, Unitarian, Jewish, Episcopalian, and Muslim faiths.
The leaders are calling for individuals, businesses and government entities to reduce fossil fuel emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
With most of its members based in the Northeast, it made sense for the group to walk in Massachusetts. The multiday event includes prayer and information sessions along the way before ending with a rally on March 24.
Not all the walkers are expected to make the entire journey. But synagogues and churches on their route will feed and shelter the multi-day hikers.
Many members of Religious Witness for the Earth have used their position from the pulpit to make their congregations aware of climate change.
"The interfaith aspect of what we're doing heightens awareness among everyone," said Rabbi Justin David of Congregation B'Nai Israel in Northampton. "Climate change is a moral issue and it's a collective issue. It transcends the differences of faith and politics and generations. This is something everyone needs to pay attention to."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Life Lessons
I've been on my own since the age of 16. Here are a few things I picked up along the way.
1. A woman who has a hyphenated last name (ie. Brown-Smith) is usually a liberal. I'd say 90% of the time. The other 10% need to get over themselves and stop trying to act like a man.
2. If you don't own a gun your naive.
3. If you rent, your pissing your money away.
4. Trust noone. Verify everything.
5. Use logic when examining a situation. Never rely on emotion to base a decision on.
6. A person at a family function who consistently draws attention to themselves, and does nothing but talk about themselves is to be avoided.
1. A woman who has a hyphenated last name (ie. Brown-Smith) is usually a liberal. I'd say 90% of the time. The other 10% need to get over themselves and stop trying to act like a man.
2. If you don't own a gun your naive.
3. If you rent, your pissing your money away.
4. Trust noone. Verify everything.
5. Use logic when examining a situation. Never rely on emotion to base a decision on.
6. A person at a family function who consistently draws attention to themselves, and does nothing but talk about themselves is to be avoided.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Captain is dead.
NEW YORK - Captain America has undertaken his last mission — at least for now.
The venerable superhero is killed in the issue of his namesake comic that hit stands Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported. On the new edition's pages, a sniper shoots down the shield-wielding hero as he leaves a courthouse.
It ends a long run for the stars-and-stripes-wearing character, created in 1941. Over the years, some 210 million copies of Captain America comic books, published by New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc., have been sold in 75 countries.
But resurrections are not unknown in the world of comics, and Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada said a Captain America comeback wasn't impossible.
Still, the character's death came as a blow to co-creator Joe Simon.
"We really need him now," said Simon, 93, who worked with artist Jack Kirby to devise Captain America as a foe for Adolf Hitler.
The superhero was spawned when a scrawny arts student named Steve Rogers, ineligible for the army because of his poor health but eager to serve his country, agreed to a "Super Soldier Serum" injection. The substance made him a paragon of physical perfection, armed only with his shield, his strength, his smarts and a command of martial arts.
In the comic-book universe, death is not always final. But even if Captain America turns out to have met his end in print, he may not disappear entirely: Marvel is developing a Captain America movie.
The venerable superhero is killed in the issue of his namesake comic that hit stands Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported. On the new edition's pages, a sniper shoots down the shield-wielding hero as he leaves a courthouse.
It ends a long run for the stars-and-stripes-wearing character, created in 1941. Over the years, some 210 million copies of Captain America comic books, published by New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc., have been sold in 75 countries.
But resurrections are not unknown in the world of comics, and Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada said a Captain America comeback wasn't impossible.
Still, the character's death came as a blow to co-creator Joe Simon.
"We really need him now," said Simon, 93, who worked with artist Jack Kirby to devise Captain America as a foe for Adolf Hitler.
The superhero was spawned when a scrawny arts student named Steve Rogers, ineligible for the army because of his poor health but eager to serve his country, agreed to a "Super Soldier Serum" injection. The substance made him a paragon of physical perfection, armed only with his shield, his strength, his smarts and a command of martial arts.
In the comic-book universe, death is not always final. But even if Captain America turns out to have met his end in print, he may not disappear entirely: Marvel is developing a Captain America movie.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Is she dead yet? Good riddance freak show.
Anna Nicole Smith Laid to Rest Near Son
Mar 02 3:09 PM US/Eastern
By BEN FOX Associated Press Writer
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Former Playboy Playmate was laid to rest Friday with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal funeral, but litigation surrounding a multi-million-dollar inheritance and the paternity of her baby daughter remain very much alive.
The principals waging a three-way custody battle over 5-month-old Dannielynn Smith's companion Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur and former boyfriend Larry Birkhead walked into the white columned church, and for at least a moment their bickering was put aside for the lavish closed casket service.
Smith was then taken to her final resting place in a mahogany coffin draped in a rhinestone-studded pink blanket as police, smartly dressed in white belted tunics and pith helmets, maintained order. Onlookers, mostly Bahamians, spontaneously broke out into the hymn "When Peace Like a River" as the white hearse carrying the 39-year-old blonde bombshell and the rest of the funeral cortege arrived at Lakeview Memorial Gardens.
In a last-minute bid to halt the burial, Arthur sought to have Supreme Court Justice Anita Adams grant her client custody of Smith's body, but the Bahamian judge denied it, according to Lilliemae MacDonald, the justice's secretary. That cleared the way for Smith to be buried next to her 20-year-old son Daniel, who died of apparent drug use in September.
When the onlookers saw Arthur arrive at the cemetery, they booed. They cheered when Birkhead stepped out of his limo. The guests disappeared under a green tent that covered the gravesite amid tight security. Smith was being buried in a tiara and custom-made, beaded gown, said organizer Patrik Simpson ofCalif.
Mar 02 3:09 PM US/Eastern
By BEN FOX Associated Press Writer
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Former Playboy Playmate was laid to rest Friday with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal funeral, but litigation surrounding a multi-million-dollar inheritance and the paternity of her baby daughter remain very much alive.
The principals waging a three-way custody battle over 5-month-old Dannielynn Smith's companion Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur and former boyfriend Larry Birkhead walked into the white columned church, and for at least a moment their bickering was put aside for the lavish closed casket service.
Smith was then taken to her final resting place in a mahogany coffin draped in a rhinestone-studded pink blanket as police, smartly dressed in white belted tunics and pith helmets, maintained order. Onlookers, mostly Bahamians, spontaneously broke out into the hymn "When Peace Like a River" as the white hearse carrying the 39-year-old blonde bombshell and the rest of the funeral cortege arrived at Lakeview Memorial Gardens.
In a last-minute bid to halt the burial, Arthur sought to have Supreme Court Justice Anita Adams grant her client custody of Smith's body, but the Bahamian judge denied it, according to Lilliemae MacDonald, the justice's secretary. That cleared the way for Smith to be buried next to her 20-year-old son Daniel, who died of apparent drug use in September.
When the onlookers saw Arthur arrive at the cemetery, they booed. They cheered when Birkhead stepped out of his limo. The guests disappeared under a green tent that covered the gravesite amid tight security. Smith was being buried in a tiara and custom-made, beaded gown, said organizer Patrik Simpson ofCalif.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
An example why organized labor is in a free fall. Good riddance!
Labor union recognizes Murtha
By JENNIFER GARLESKY Daily American Staff Writer
February 24, 2007 12:17 AM EST
JOHNSTOWN - Representatives from the Johnstown Central Labor Council and the AFL-CIO gathered Friday morning to honor U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, for his support of the Employee Free Choice Act.More than 50 union members from six counties attended the formal breakfast event at Ace's Lounge in Johnstown.
Throughout the week, the AFL-CIO has been honoring congressional members who support the legislation, said Rick Bloomingdale, AFL-CIO secretary/treasurer.The act, introduced earlier this month, would strengthen penalties for employers who violate workers' freedom to make their own choice about a union, according to an AFL-CIO press release.“This act will level the playing field to make it fair to organize,” Bloomingdale said.If passed, the act would allow a neutral party to determine a contract if the company and employees cannot reach an agreement, according to the release.“We need unions more now than we ever needed them,” Bloomingdale said.He said he believes the decline in the number of unionized groups is creating a downward spiral that is affecting the middle class.“The middle class is shrinking as we see the decline in the union,” Bloomingdale said.According to a study conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, one out of five union activists is likely to be fired when they try to form unions.Bloomingdale said there is a need for grassroots activism. He said workers need to come together to help restore the economy.“People need to realize that if they can hold on to their job and their neighbor loses their job then everybody loses,” he said. “It's a big cycle.”Members of the Johnstown labor council plan to increase their visibility.“We are going to work in areas that do not have a union,” said Ernie Esposito, council president.During the event, Murtha spoke about the importance of labor rights.“We need fair employment that gives employees a voice,” he said.In an interview following Friday's breakfast, Murtha said the county is in need of a change of direction.“There are other issues that need to be addressed like preventative medicine and veterans affairs,” he said. “And the union is behind all of these issues.”
By JENNIFER GARLESKY Daily American Staff Writer
February 24, 2007 12:17 AM EST
JOHNSTOWN - Representatives from the Johnstown Central Labor Council and the AFL-CIO gathered Friday morning to honor U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, for his support of the Employee Free Choice Act.More than 50 union members from six counties attended the formal breakfast event at Ace's Lounge in Johnstown.
Throughout the week, the AFL-CIO has been honoring congressional members who support the legislation, said Rick Bloomingdale, AFL-CIO secretary/treasurer.The act, introduced earlier this month, would strengthen penalties for employers who violate workers' freedom to make their own choice about a union, according to an AFL-CIO press release.“This act will level the playing field to make it fair to organize,” Bloomingdale said.If passed, the act would allow a neutral party to determine a contract if the company and employees cannot reach an agreement, according to the release.“We need unions more now than we ever needed them,” Bloomingdale said.He said he believes the decline in the number of unionized groups is creating a downward spiral that is affecting the middle class.“The middle class is shrinking as we see the decline in the union,” Bloomingdale said.According to a study conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, one out of five union activists is likely to be fired when they try to form unions.Bloomingdale said there is a need for grassroots activism. He said workers need to come together to help restore the economy.“People need to realize that if they can hold on to their job and their neighbor loses their job then everybody loses,” he said. “It's a big cycle.”Members of the Johnstown labor council plan to increase their visibility.“We are going to work in areas that do not have a union,” said Ernie Esposito, council president.During the event, Murtha spoke about the importance of labor rights.“We need fair employment that gives employees a voice,” he said.In an interview following Friday's breakfast, Murtha said the county is in need of a change of direction.“There are other issues that need to be addressed like preventative medicine and veterans affairs,” he said. “And the union is behind all of these issues.”
Saturday, February 17, 2007
The list of traitors
Representative Michael Castle (DE)Phone: (202) 225-4165Fax: (202) 225-2291Email
Representative Howard Coble (NC)Phone: (202) 225-3065Fax: (202) 225-8611Email
Representative Thomas M. Davis (VA)Phone: (202) 225-1492Fax: (202) 225-3071Email
Representative John J. Duncan Jr. (TN)Phone: (202) 225-5435Fax: (202) 225-6440Email
Representative Philip Sheridan English (PA)Phone: (202) 225-5406Fax: (202) 225-3103Email
Representative Wayne Gilchrest (MD)Phone: (202) 225-5311Fax: (202) 225-0254Email
Representative Robert Inglis (SC)Phone: (202) 225-6030Fax: (202) 226-1177Email
Representative Timothy V. Johnson (IL)Phone: (202) 225-2371Fax: (202) 226-0791Email
Representative Walter Jones (NC)Phone: (202) 225-3415Fax: (202) 225-3286Email
Representative Richard Keller (FL)Phone: (202) 225-2176Fax: (202) 225-0999Email
Representative Mark Kirk (IL)Phone: (202) 225-4835Fax: (202) 225-0837Email
Representative Steven C. LaTourette (OH)Phone: (202) 225-5731Fax: (202) 325-3307Email
Representative Ronald Ernest Paul (TX)Phone: (202) 225-2831Email
Representative Thomas Petri (WI)Tel: (202) 225-2476Fax: (202) 225-2356Email
Representative James Ramstad (MN)Phone: (202) 225-2871Fax: (202) 225-6351Email
Representative Frederick Stephen Upton (MI)Phone: (202) 225-3761Fax: (202) 225-4986Email
Representative James T. Walsh (NY)Phone: (202) 225-3701Fax: (202) 225-4042Email
Remember them.
Only two Democrats in the House stood with our country and our soldiers in Iraq:
Representative Jim Marshall (GA) Phone: (202) 225-6531Fax: (202) 225-3013 Email
Representative Gene Taylor (MS) Phone: (202) 225-5772 Fax: (202) 225-7074 Email
Representative Howard Coble (NC)Phone: (202) 225-3065Fax: (202) 225-8611Email
Representative Thomas M. Davis (VA)Phone: (202) 225-1492Fax: (202) 225-3071Email
Representative John J. Duncan Jr. (TN)Phone: (202) 225-5435Fax: (202) 225-6440Email
Representative Philip Sheridan English (PA)Phone: (202) 225-5406Fax: (202) 225-3103Email
Representative Wayne Gilchrest (MD)Phone: (202) 225-5311Fax: (202) 225-0254Email
Representative Robert Inglis (SC)Phone: (202) 225-6030Fax: (202) 226-1177Email
Representative Timothy V. Johnson (IL)Phone: (202) 225-2371Fax: (202) 226-0791Email
Representative Walter Jones (NC)Phone: (202) 225-3415Fax: (202) 225-3286Email
Representative Richard Keller (FL)Phone: (202) 225-2176Fax: (202) 225-0999Email
Representative Mark Kirk (IL)Phone: (202) 225-4835Fax: (202) 225-0837Email
Representative Steven C. LaTourette (OH)Phone: (202) 225-5731Fax: (202) 325-3307Email
Representative Ronald Ernest Paul (TX)Phone: (202) 225-2831Email
Representative Thomas Petri (WI)Tel: (202) 225-2476Fax: (202) 225-2356Email
Representative James Ramstad (MN)Phone: (202) 225-2871Fax: (202) 225-6351Email
Representative Frederick Stephen Upton (MI)Phone: (202) 225-3761Fax: (202) 225-4986Email
Representative James T. Walsh (NY)Phone: (202) 225-3701Fax: (202) 225-4042Email
Remember them.
Only two Democrats in the House stood with our country and our soldiers in Iraq:
Representative Jim Marshall (GA) Phone: (202) 225-6531Fax: (202) 225-3013 Email
Representative Gene Taylor (MS) Phone: (202) 225-5772 Fax: (202) 225-7074 Email
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
